Southwestern Notes: Edey, Rockets, Branham, Wesley, Williamson

Zach EdeyThree-point shooter? The former Purdue big man attempted just two shots beyond the arc during his illustrious college career and made one of them. But that Grizzlies I don't want her winning the lottery to feel like it's limited to color as a professional. He took part in a three-point shooting competition during an open practice on Sunday and showed off a good shot.

“When there are opportunities to be out on the sidelines, whether it's him leaving the play behind or just moving out there, I want him to feel like he has the green light.” Coach said Taylor Jenkinsvia Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t want to restrict him in any way. I want to see what he’s capable of.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

• The Rockets will play two preseason games in three days, facing the Jazz on Monday and the Thunder on Wednesday. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, they view these competitions as a benchmark to see how much progress they have made during training camp. “I just want to go out there, play hard, win, win the preseason games and get some good momentum going into the season.” Jalen Green said. “The way we play here, we have to go out and play there.”
• The Spurs have an Oct. 31 deadline to exercise guard contract options Malaki Branham And Blake Wesley for the 2025/26 season. Wesley admits the pressure is on to perform well in training camp – if those options aren't taken advantage of, he and Branham will look for free agency next offseason. “Everyone knows it’s a contract year” Wesley told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “We’re trying to win and get better. The pressure is great.”
• After losing the starting center Jonas Valanciunas in free agency, that Pelicans brought no obvious replacement. New Orleans will employ smaller lineups, primarily with Zion Williamson as the de facto center, quite often this season, writes Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “The fact is we're going to have a lot of games where we don't have a traditional center on the field.” trainer Willie Green said. “That will happen. We have to get used to playing like that for a lot of the game.”